Reflection Time

TWO DECADES have passed since Indonesia changed political course and embarked on the path of democracy, rapidly in the process devolving more government functions to the regions.

There was a feeling of expectation in the air, even though the economy and businesses had been hit hard. The resilience of the people was evident.

In 2005, at the time of a major infrastructure event opened by President Yudhoyono, with 1,000 people attending and all wanting to invest in the future, with infrastructure to the fore, I wrote an article then entitled Congestion on the Roads: Moving a Nation. I opened with “It’s a rainy Monday morning and Jakarta is abuzz. People leisurely board the monorail and buses in the knowledge that they will shortly arrive at their place of work in comfort, in safety and on time. Out of town, cars and trucks flow freely along the toll roads, keeping the economy and nation on the move. It’s 2020, and this is Indonesia. No, it is not a complete flight of fancy – it is a vision that with government commitment, foreign investment and public support is set to become a reality.”

Well, 2020 is not far off as we enter 2019, and I was wrong! It was soon found that the legal and regulatory structures were not fit for purpose and, even when improved, application was often still bogged down in bureaucratic strictures. City pollution was then discussed as air quality was deemed as one of the worst in the world, and it is interesting that this issue has once more come to the fore today. Little focus is put on the deleterious effects of pollution on citizen health or the heavy costs that are accordingly incurred.

Jakarta, as has been identified for some considerable time, does not have adequate space for its road infrastructure, half what a major city needs at ground level, and thus transport has to be added at levels either up or below. While the monorail would seem to have been kicked into the long grass, the long- awaited first stage of the MRT will be a welcome addition this year and work is in evidence on the building of LRT routes in key areas.